


Ringwraith

by TheBestRain19



Series: No War Should Be Fought Alone [1]
Category: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Video Games)
Genre: Dark Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 05:49:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20989865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBestRain19/pseuds/TheBestRain19
Summary: Rage can be a powerful motivator.





	Ringwraith

Frustration. 

That was the emotion dominating Talion’s mind at the moment. He was defending the fort of Seregost, and at first, everything was going fairly well. The defending Warchiefs were holding the key points, the archers were picking off the invaders one by one, and he himself was able to slash the Uruks apart with ease, not even needing to use the magic of the prison on his finger. The whispers were still coming in, but he was able to easily bat them aside. It was as close to normal as he had ever gotten since Barad-Dur. 

Of course, it would all come  _ crashing down!  _

They had a War Graug and its handlers coming from the western side of the fortress’ walls, which broke through the stone structures, and was now wreaking havoc along with enemy Beastmasters. The archers were all but dead, at least half his captains were dead, and now enemy captains were slowly but surely advancing toward the Overlord’s chambers. 

Talion was painfully ripped from his mental ravings by a flaming crossbow bolt embedding itself in his side, in his  _ ribs!  _ The pain of fire seemed to have doubled since his…  _ transition  _ into the Lord of Minas Morgul. The flames continued to burn for a few seconds after piercing him, sending him to his due to the agony that was overwhelming his senses. Forcing himself to focus through the haze of fire, he ripped the bolt out with a raspy grunt, looking left only to see a Caragor with its rider on top, leaping toward him, intent on ripping his throat out. 

_ No!  _

If he went down now, then there would be one less seat of power between Sauron and Middle-Earth! If he died now, he’d have to start all over again in the region, and the Eye would once more have a foothold in Mordor, and if that kept up…  _ his sacrifices would be in vain. _

It was that very thought, the memory of the Elf spirit looking down on him as his throat was split open, as if his sacrifices meant absolutely  _ nothing, _ that finally broke through the tight control Talion had over his rage. He reached down into Isildur’s ring, drew deep from the darkness and churning corruption, deeper than he ever had before, even more than when he took Minas Morgul! Black crept over the edges of his vision, time slowed nearly to a crawl, and Talion  _ exploded  _ into motion. Both the caragor and rider found themselves near-instantly without a head, but Talion continued to blitz around the battlefield, a cloak of shadow and unholy green flame trailing behind him. With a mere thought, spectral soldiers were conjured to bolster his forces, as the Dark Ranger butchered the opposition, cleaving orcs in half, limbs flew around, and heads separated from shoulders. 

The enemy orcs began to run after seeing a glowing green hammer blast into their Graug’s head, but the Gravewalker wasn’t done quite yet. The whispers were louder, and also more helpful than they have ever been, telling him where more victims were, urging him on. Ethereal knives were flung from his hands, and Urfael claimed a half-dozen more orcs. Then, Talion stopped, and at the further end of the battlefield, so too did the remnants of the attacking force. Calling upon his darkest, and newest ability, he reached out across the fortress, to the remnants of life that was clinging to the corpses of friend and foe alike, and  _ pulled.  _

The sight of all those revenants rising at once was enough to send the rest of the would-be usupers fleeing.

Talion finally cut off the flow of power coming from the Ring, forcing it back down even as exhaustion finally crept in. He dismissed the ghostly soldiers with a thought, and his vision faded from the wraith world, the black tendrils receding. Urfael’s corrupted flame was extinguished, and Talion turned back to the living captains under his command. 

“Gather our dead captains, and bring them to the monuments for a full resurrection,” Talion paused, then spoke again, “and being rebuilding.”

He couldn’t look them in the eyes, didn’t want to see the fear in them, looking at him like a Nazgul, a monster.

The whispers were back.

His soul shuddered.

**Author's Note:**

> In playing the Shadow Wars, I never actually used Dark Talion's Ringwraith ability until I fought a siege. That inspired this occasion.


End file.
